❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter seven ―― princess

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE KEPT HER EYES off of the severed hand as she followed Rick down the steps and off the platform. She didn't necessarily have a sensitive stomach, but she had never seen a disembodied hand before and the sight did make her stomach turn. She looked up from her boots, to Daryl who was breathing hard – his tears had stopped but it was clear that he was angry.

And she could understand that, if it had been Shane she would've been a mess. T-Dog stepped off the last step just behind Charlie and Daryl turned, his crossbow aimed right at his head. The girl stepped back as Rick raised his gun to Daryl's head, her hand tightening around her knife – not that she knew what she would do if they started shooting but still, it was a decent form of comfort.

"I won't hesitate." Rick told him, his blue eyes narrowed slightly against the sun. "I don't care if every walker in the city hears it." Daryl didn't lower his crossbow, he just squeezed his eyes closed, his breathing ragged.

"Daryl." Charlie shuffled forward. "Put it down, please?" She asked, not sure that he would listen, but it was worth a shot. He opened his eyes and glanced at the girl, taking a breath as he finally lowered it to his side then Rick lowered his gun. "Thank God." She mumbled, taking a step back from them before she turned and made her way to the edge of the roof, her eyes taking in the massive hoards of walkers on the street.

"You got a durag or something?" Daryl asked, his eyes on T-Dog, who then reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue bandana. Daryl took it and walked over, resting his crossbow against a pipe before he laid the bandana next to the hand. "Guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs." He stated as he picked the hand up by the pinkie and Charlie scrunched her nose up before turning back to the street below. "Ain't that a bitch." He mumbled before wrapping the hand on the bandana. Then he walked over and put it in Glenn's bag, much to the discomfort of the Korean boy.

"Gross." The girl mumbled, shaking her head a little, her ponytail swaying with the movement.

"Get over it, princess."

"Great, another nickname." She muttered as she turned towards them, making her way over to the handcuffs that hung from the piece of metal.

"He must've used a tourniquet – his belt maybe." Daryl stated, looking at the puddle of blood. "Be much more blood if he didn't."

"Looks like there's a trail." Charlie used her knife to point at the line of blood droplets. "We could follow it." She suggested as T-Dog stepped over the pipes to collect Dale's tool that he had left on their last run into the city.

"Well, let's go." Daryl told her and she followed him across the roof, Rick and Glenn behind her as they walked through a door. Daryl had his crossbow at the ready and Rick had his gun out while Charlie gripped her knife – it wasn't very big but she knew it'd get the job done if need be. "Merle? You in here?" Daryl shouted as he started down a set of stairs, but he got no reply as they continued down the stairs.

Charlie turned and went into a room, Daryl following her, as Rick, Glenn and T-Dog went down the hall. She stopped when a walker turned towards them, growling a little but before Daryl could raise his crossbow she flung her knife at it and it embedded itself in the walker's eyes and it fell to the floor with a dull thud.

"Impressive." Daryl mumbled, mostly to himself as the girl walked over and pulled the knife from the dead thing's head then she bent down and wiped the blade in the carpet.

"Played softball in high school." She told him. "Best pitcher in the league." She stood up when Daryl walked past her and into the hall, she followed, just as Rick met up with them – Glenn and T-Dog following behind them. They continued into a lobby of sorts, Daryl stepping over one of the two dead walkers that were laying on the ground while Charlie walked around it. "Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches. One handed."

"I don't like the guy, but damn." Charlie mumbled, pushing the bloody wrench across the carpet with the toe of her boot.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother." Daryl continued as he reloaded his crossbow. "Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Disturbing." Charlie muttered, mostly to herself as she turned and walked away from them.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is." Rick stated as he followed the brunette, he didn't want her to get too far out of sight in case something bad happened. She had her eyes on the floor, following the blood trail, she'd glance up every so often to check her surroundings but there weren't many walkers in the building, at least it seemed that way.

"This way." She told the others as they came to a doorway, pointing to the right and Daryl came to a stop beside her.

"Merle!"

"We're not alone here." Rick huffed, trying to get him to be quiet. "Remember?"

"Screw that." Daryl mumbled. "He could be bleeding out, you said so yourself." They continued into a kitchen, where the burners were on and Charlie scrunched her nose up at the bloody belt that was on the counter, then Rick picked up an iron that had something stuck to it.

"What's the burned stuff?" Glenn asked.

"Skin." Rick answered. "He cauterized the stump."

"The things people will do to survive." Charlie shook her head, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat as she walked away from the group.

"Told you he was tough." Daryl stated. "Nobody can kill Merle but Merle."

"Don't take that on faith." Rick told him. "He's lost a lot of blood."

"Are we sure he's human?" She called out over her shoulder, using her knife to poke at the broken window as the other four walked over. "Seriously, what the hell is your brother?" She asked looking over at Daryl, and he just smirked.

"He left the building?" Glenn questioned. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone, as far as he knows, doing what he's gotta do." Daryl told him. "Surviving."

"You call that surviving?" T-Dog asked. "Just wandering around in the streets, maybe passing out?"

"Well, he ain't dead yet." Charlie stated.

"What are his odds out there?"

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks."

"Hey, I was not a part of that." Charlie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sorry, princess." Daryl muttered, but it was more condescending than anything and she rolled her eyes at him as he turned to Rick. "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards?" Rick asked. "Different story?"

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him."

"Daryl, wait." Rick pushed him back a little.

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!"

"I don't blame you." Rick told him. "He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head."

"I could do that." He nodded then Rick looked over at the others, his eyes landing on Charlie.

"I don't like the guy, but if it were my brother, I'd wanna find him." She told him. "I'm game."

"I knew I liked you." Daryl told her.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes as Rick looked over at T-Dog and Glenn.

"Only if we get those guns first." T told him. "I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"

"So, it's settled." Charlie stated. "Anybody got a plan?" She asked, looking around at the four guys.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS ALONE." Rick stated, his hands on his hips as he looked down at Glenn who had been telling them about his plan.

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much." Daryl added from where he was leaning against one the tables in the lab they had found – his hands on his knees.

"It's a good idea, okay." Glenn defended his plan. "If you just hear me out." He looked up at Rick who kneeled down so he was closer to where the boy was sitting on the ground and to the map he had scribbled on the floor. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast."

"I'm not comfortable with you going alone either." Charlie told him from where she sat on one of the tables, her feet dangling. "I'll go with you, got my knife and a gun if need be."

"No way in hell." Rick pointed a stern finger at her as he looked up at her.

"I'm not letting him go out there by himself." She jumped off the table. "You can't talk me out of it. Let's just not tell Shane about it." She mumbled as she bent down so she could see the map.

"You sure?" Glenn asked the girl and she nodded. "Okay. That's the tank." He pointed at the clip he had been using as a placeholder for the tank. "About five blocks from where we are now." Then he put a balled up post-it next to it. "That's the bag of guns." He moved his hand over and pointed at the empty space between two buildings. "Here the alley I dragged you into when we first met." He looked up at Rick. "That's where Daryl, Charlie and I will go."

"Why me?" Daryl asked, looking over at the boy, unmoving in his place.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun."

"Makes sense." Charlie mumbled.

"Thanks." Glenn nodded and she gave him a smile before he looked at Rick. "Daryl waits here in the alley, we run up the street, grab the bag."

"Then we haul ass." Charlie hummed. "Seems easy enough."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asked.

"You and T-Dog, right." He picked up an eraser and moved it to another alley. "You'll be there in this alley here."

"Two blocks away? Why?"

"We may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut us off."

"Not so easy." Charlie shook her head a little as she stood up and shook out her arms.

"If that happens, we won't go back to Daryl. We'll go forwards instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever way we go, we got you in both places to cover us. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."

"Hey, kid, what'd you do before all this?" Daryl asked.

"Delivered pizzas, why?" He told him but he didn't really get an answer.

"Should've grab my runnin' shoes." Charlie mumbled to herself as she stretched her legs, kicking one up onto the table and leaning forwards, then she did the same with the other.

NOVA SPEAKS !

so, the trip has been good, we did end up getting snowed in but i didn't really kind. i've read four books in the span of seven-ish days which i'm super proud of myself for!! but i'm excited bti be heading home tomorrow!

anyways, i found some time today so here's this chapter!!! i hope you enjoy!!

let me know what you think!